


made of star stuff

by reversetheuniverse



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 23:54:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7734757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reversetheuniverse/pseuds/reversetheuniverse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Why did Mars have to fall for Pluto, the planet that ellipses the furthest away from everyone else? She’s the planet he can’t reach no matter how hard he tries.</p><p>It hurts to look at her, and it hurts to love her. And <em>god</em>, does he love her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” --Carl Sagan, _Cosmos_**

 

* * *

 

Her eyes are stars, he decides.

 

Farkle is certain of a lot of things in life, but he believes, in his softest of hearts, that his conclusion is one-hundred percent founded.

Riley Matthews’ eyes are stars, bright as the sun on the clearest of blue days, the kind where he can’t stop staring even though it hurts.

 

It hurts to look at her, it really does.

 

He recognizes it’s not myocardial infarction—he knows the signs and symptoms of it like the back of his hand, he’s read up on them enough times. Farkle’s aware of the effect she has on him, but he shuts it down and enjoys the time he has, because when did something so delicate and ephemeral ever prove to be good?

 

Science is precise. Science is eternal.

Riley Matthews is _confusing_.

 

She’s like a snowstorm in May—unpredictable and erratic and messy and why does it feel so goodnice _pleasant_ to exist in the same space as her? Why does something that drives his mind to madness make him calm all the same? She’s the eye of a hurricane and the rainbow after a storm all at the same time.

It could never work.

He’s a Minkus, she’s a Lawrence, and that never panned out for his father, so why should it him? Farkle Minkus isn’t someone you want to date, just someone you want to borrow loans from or marry for inheritance money.

 

He’s absolutely doomed.

 

Why does he put himself in these sort of situations?

Why did Mars have to fall for Pluto, the planet that ellipses the furthest away from everyone else? She’s the planet he can’t reach no matter how hard he tries.

It hurts to look at her, and it hurts to love her. And _god_ , does he love her.

 

. . . Maybe he is going into cardiac arrest.

 

“Farkle? _Faaarkle!!!_ ”

The familiar crow of Riley calling to him breaks Farkle of his reverie, his attention focused entirely on her (like it wasn’t before.)

“Huh?”

“I was just asking you what you thought about the cake I made? You haven’t responded yet.” Yep, he’s still staring at the cake stupidly like he’s some sort of caveman thrown into the twenty-first century. Nice going, Minkus.

“Oh, right.”

He has to take another bite to remember, but when he does, he realizes why he’d gotten distracted in the first place. The confectionery is so sweet and yet so tart all at the same time, the rush of flavor sending him into outer space from the overwhelming saccharine savor bombarding his taste buds. It’s an angel food cake frosted with a raspberry ganache, drizzled with a lemon icing, and topped with fresh strawberries. It reminds him of her.

“So?”

“It’s amazing, Riley! What’s the occasion again?”

“I’m holding a meteor shower party tonight! And my dad has given me permission to hold it in the park this year instead of the bay window, so I’m making this cake for everybody to enjoy! Do you think they’ll love it?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t they?” Riley shrugs, returning to her own kitchen to make another one of her meteor shower party cakes.

He does know the answer to his own question, but he doesn’t quite understand why she feels the way she does.

Farkle doesn’t get why Riley is so insecure. She shouldn’t have to go looking for approval, but her heart craves it—craves the attention, craves the bliss. Farkle wishes for once that she could see how great of a person she really is, but he has a feeling she’ll be living in pure oblivion for a long while.

“Hey, do you still have that really nice telescope your father got you a couple of Christmases back?” Riley asks him as she whisks together some eggs and sugar in a bowl.

“Um, yeah. Is that why you brought me over here? To be a taste-tester and to cop me out of my telescope?” Riley grins, turning her head to the side as she gazes at him.

“You got me. I’m not too subtle, am I?”

“Not a single moment in your life, Matthews."

Farkle lives for their banter. He lives for this domestication and easiness that comes with inhabiting the same space as her, and _damnit_ , it’s not fair! Crushes, especially his crush on Riley, were only supposed to last until he got older! Now he’s sitting here, heart rupturing with joy and elation, and he suddenly feels like a dumb, twelve-year-old kid who thinks he knows all the answers to life’s problems. He definitely knows he doesn’t have all the answers, because here he is, eighteen years-old and still harboring feelings for Riley well past their expiration date.

“Farkle, not to make a joke or anything, but you’ve been really spacey today. What’s up?” Of course she’d notice. She’s the mom-friend, taking care of all her children one by one.

“No reason. Just thinking, is all.”

“Well, you’re definitely thinking pretty hard over there. You’re gonna get worry wrinkles before you’re even twenty!” she giggles. She’s probably right, but that’s never going to stop him from worrying. “So, _Farkley_ , you gonna tell me what’s on your mind? I might be able to help, and I’ve got plenty of time before the party to schedule you in for an appointment. I hope you don’t mind, but since I am baking a cake, the meeting will have to be held in the kitchen instead of the bay window.”

Should he tell her? Should he confess right here and now that he, Farkle Minkus, is still in love with her, Riley Matthews?

Nah. Or maybe he could, if he worded it correctly . . .

“Alright, Riley Matthews. I’ll lay this one on you and see if you can fix it.” He watches as Riley’s eyes flash up to his immediately, a spark of intrigue lighting within them.

“Yes! Lay it on me, Farkle.”

“So, let’s put this as a hypothetical situation.”

“Got it. Hypothetical. Let’s roll with it. Lick the spoon?”

“Of course! Is that a real question?” She hands him the utensil smothered in cake batter, nodding her head solemnly.

“You wouldn’t believe it. Lucas _never_ liked cake batter spoons.”

“That’s crazy!”

“I know! I tried to explain to him that cake batter spoons make the world go round—”

“Technically it’s the sun's gravity pulling the earth into an elliptical orbit,” Farkle interrupts her, unable to keep the words from falling out of his mouth. Whoops, force of habit.

“ _Farkle_ ,” Riley groans, but that doesn’t stop her rant. “Anyway, he never believed me. He said that it could give you salmonella, and that his mama didn’t raise no fool. He also told me that they were “ _too sweet_ ”. Who says that?!”

“The heathen,” Farkle grumbles jokingly, taking a lick from the spoon. Oh dear, sweet cake batter, how he missed it so.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t matter anymore. Usually I just give him the fresh fruit and he forgets the lies he said about cake batter spoons.” She sighs, returning to preparing the cake once again. “Lucas Friar was always better for someone else.”

“Obviously, if he doesn’t care about cake batter spoons. Riley, promise me you’ll find someone who understands the true sanctity of them?” Riley chuckles slightly, her eyes crinkling as her lips curve upward into a warm smile.

“I promise.”

Farkle’s glad that Riley has gotten to a point where she can talk about Lucas and laugh again. They dated for a while, a _long_ while, but eventually came to an agreement that, while what they had was sweet, it wasn’t love. But even though they split, it was all amicable, and Farkle’s gracious for it because he doesn’t think he could handle another situation like **The Great Love Triangle of 2016™**. Both Riley and Lucas are his best friends, and to not have either of them ostracized from their friend group was a relief to all. The break up still affected both of them, of course, and they were sad about it for some time, but they’ve also had time to heal.

He’s also familiar with the concept, to say the least.

“So, you put in any applications yet?” Farkle asks as he licks the last bit of batter off the spoon.

“Yup. I’ve done five already, and those are for my top choices. Have you done the same?”

“Of course. Can’t have Harvard or Stanford thinking I don’t care about my academics.”

“Stanford? You want to move all the way out to California?” Riley’s intonation is alarmed, to say the least. Should he have lied to her and told her he was staying in the area? Would that have made her feel better? Why does he need to tiptoe around the subject with her, anyway? She had to have known that this was coming.

“Well, maybe. I’m just trying not to limit my options.” Riley nods her head in agreement, but he can tell she’s still solemn about the idea.

“I just didn’t know you wanted to go that far out.”

“It’s not about moving far away, it’s about the type of school I get into. Are you worried that I’m not going to be within walking distance of you anymore?” Farkle asks, but she shrugs nonchalantly in response.

“ _Noooo_. It’s just . . . Maya would care. Yup. Definitely. I’m just worried about Maya.” Oh, this is _hilarious_. Maya? Worried about _him_ moving away? Not a chance. A grin splays wide across Farkle’s face, his azure eyes lighting up impishly.

“Maya would care? Gee, I definitely wouldn’t want to hurt our dear friend Maya.”

“Nope, you don’t wanna do that. She’s fragile. She’ll break into a million pieces if you leave.”

“Oh yeah?”

“ _Yeah_.” Riley pauses a moment, blinking before sticking her whisk out at him. “Hey, you’re dodging, mister! We’re supposed to be having an appointment!”

“I’m not the one who offered a batter spoon. You had to have known I was a goner after that,” Farkle says, raising his hands in surrender.

“Alright, alright, enough of that. What’s with this hypothetical situation you wanted to lay on me?” Right. _That_.

“Okay, so there’s this friend, right? And he’s been best friends with this girl for a long while. And the boy seemed interested in her at one point but then he was interested in her friend instead and moved on. Then the boy and the girl’s friend split and now the boy thinks he’s interested in the girl again even though he doesn’t stand a chance with her. What should this boy do? Does he just remain forever hopelessly in love with this girl, or does he try his best to move on?” Riley stares blankly at him for a moment before her mouth draws into an ‘o’ shape, and Farkle thinks to himself immediately that _crap he blew it for sure this time_.

“Oh my god! Is this about Lucas and Maya? Because I’ve totally seen that coming for a long time now. Is that what you’ve been worrying about?” Farkle could really stand a slap or a punch to the face right about now.

“Let’s go with that,” he deadpans, but Riley buys into it without another thought.

 

Farkle Minkus is really doomed this time for sure.

 

“Well, they didn’t need you to ask for my hypothetical blessing! Maya’s my best friend, and so is Lucas, too. They deserve happiness, and if they’ve found it in each other, then I’m happy for them.”

Riley Matthews, too pure, too good for this world. A ball of sunshine in the flesh.

“I should get going. I’ve got more applications to fill out before the party tonight,” Farkle excuses himself, leaving the spoon on the table.

“Oh, okay,” Riley says, confusion apparent upon her face. “Don’t forget to bring the telescope, Farkley!”

“You bet!” Farkle shouts back at her before exiting through the front door, closing it tight behind him.

 _God_ , that girl is going to be the death of him. He just _knows_ it.


	2. Chapter 2

He isn’t really surprised to find her by the swings, feet kicking at the ground disappointedly.

“They never came,” Riley says, eyes trained to the ground.

“It is New York City, after all. You had to know—”

“But I _did_ know. I knew that there was a chance that we wouldn’t see them, but I still held onto that hope that we would. And now here we are, meteorless in New York City. Why, Farkle? _Why?_ ”

He’s not going to give her the statistics he knows off the top of his head right now, because that’s not what she needs. All she needs is a friend, and he can do that. He’s good at that, in the very least.

“Because we’re very inconveniently placed,” he answers her, plopping down on the swing next to hers.

“No, why do I always have to be so optimistic about things? Why can’t I be a realist like you? The world never disappoints and always disappoints you all at the same time, because you expect it to. I throw caution to the wind and it smacks me back in the face.”

“That’s the kind of person you are, Riley. Always have been. You have hope when the rest of us are down, and your hope spreads like wildfire. You don’t want to be a realist, Riley; you want to be an optimist. Even when the world gets you down, you get back up again because that’s who you are.” Farkle catches the wonder in her gaze, and he snorts.

“How do you know me so well, Farkle Minkus?”

“Could it be that we’re best friends?” he asks, but Riley shakes her head.

“No, that’s not it. That doesn’t explain why you read me like a book. How can you know all the right words to say to me, even when I don’t know they’re right?”

_Because I love you._

 “Because I care,” Farkle replies instead.

“No, it’s not caring. That’s too conventional for you.”

“What’s unconventional, then?”

“That’s what love is.”

She’s caught him red-handed. Riley Matthews did always know how to win.

“Maybe?”

“No, not maybe. _Certainly_. You love me, don’t you, Farkle Minkus?” she teases. She’s goading him on, he realizes, but it eats at him anyway.

“You love me, don’t you, Riley Matthews?”

“I don’t know, do I?”

“I don’t know, do you?”

“ _God, just shove it and kiss already, you two! You’re gonna make me vomit from all this gross couple talk!!_ ” Maya shouts in the distance, scaring Farkle off his swing. His back slides into the dirt, his eyes meeting the night sky.

“Farkle, you okay?” Riley asks, prodding and poking him from above. Farkle nods, but his eyes stay trained on the sky. At first it’s slow, slow enough that he thinks his mind is playing tricks on him, but then they catch up one by one. Farkle raises his hand, index finger pointing upward.

“Look, Riley. Make a wish.”

“I don’t need to; it already came true. How about you make a wish, Farkle? Even Farkles’ deserve something in this world.”

And so Farkle makes a wish. A silly, stupid wish, but a wish nonetheless.

“Okay.”

“And what did you ask for?”

“Reciprocity.”

“In?”

“Feelings.”

“What kind of feelings?”

“The kind I can’t explain, not to you at least.” Riley’s brows furrow, her mind trying to make sense of the situation.

“You can’t explain them to me?” Farkle shakes his head.

“Not to you. Not now.”

“When, then?”

“Someday.”

“Can’t someday be today?” Farkle sighs, sobering up as his eyes meet Riley’s. She gazes so hard at him that she might bore a hole into his head, but at this point, he’d gladly accept that. Death is better than having to deal with feelings.

“Why would you want someday to be today? Don’t you want to enjoy the life you have?” he asks.

“Not if you’re not in it, I won’t. Farkle, what do you think I wished for?”

“The meteor shower?” Riley laughs. First a snort, then a giggle, then a full-on, hearty peal, her hand gripping her stomach.

“No, that’s not my wish,” she answers him after her laughter dies down.

“Then what is?”

“My wish was to sit under the stars with my friends and have a good time.”

She was always the queen of candor, and him the king of high hopes failed.

“Oh.”

“But I kind of cheated, because that was only part of it. I had a double-wish.”

“So did all of the double-wish come true?”

“Mhm. I’m under the stars with my friends, having a good time, and I’m sharing it with you.” He doesn’t react, just in case he misheard her.

“With me?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That was the second part of your wish?”

“My double-wish.”

“Whoa, _mama_. You wasted your double-wish on me? I hate to tell you this, Riley, but you should’ve wished for a brain instead.” Riley smacks Farkle on the arm lightly.

“That’s insulting! You’re worth it, I hope you know, Farkle. A wish wasted on you is a wish well-spent. Besides, you complimented me on my cake. I had to return the favor.”

“Whatever you say. I still stand by my decision that you need to visit the wizard. Get a new brain, because you’ve definitely lost yours,” he tells her.

“What, you don’t believe that someone would want to willingly wish to sit by you?”

“ _No_ , I believe that _you_ wouldn’t want to wish for that. You can sit by me any old day, Riley. Why wish for it tonight of all nights, when the multitude of shooting stars are all in the sky, waiting to grant you the wish of all wishes?”

Riley stares at Farkle a long while, her eyebrows so scrunched in bewilderment that he just wants to reach up and smooth the creases out with his thumb. She looms over him, her hand rising in the air in typical Riley Matthews fashion to reach out and touch his skin. Warm fingertips press against his cheek, and Farkle has to hold his breathing to keep him from making any sudden movements. He’s afraid that, if he shifts, she’ll be gone in the blink of an eye.

“Because, Farkle. I needed to have this wish. I needed the stars to give me the confidence that I’ve lacked, to give me the faith and courage to see the path I’m headed down. I’ve been blind for so long. They’re here to help me see.”

“To help you see what, exactly?”

She does something that nobody would expect—not Farkle, not Maya, not Lucas— _nobody_.

Riley Matthews kisses Farkle Minkus on the dirt of the playground in the middle of the park, right under the Perseids streaming across space. Farkle thinks to himself that he’s perfected space travel, because he’s being sent all the way to Pluto right now.

“I wanted to see what it would be like to kiss Farkle Minkus under the stars,” Riley finally answers him, smile warm and rounded cheeks rosy from blushing.

“And your conclusion?”

“Wonderful. It’s wonderful to kiss Farkle Minkus under the stars. Now what’s your conclusion to your wish?” Her fingers push around the mussed up locks of his hair, her chocolate-brown eyes never leaving his.

“I think,” Farkle says, “That the conclusion to my wish is that yes, my feels are requited.”

“Your feelings for who?” she urges playfully.

“Riley Matthews. My feelings for Riley Matthews are indeed reciprocated.” She gives him a quick peck on the tip of his nose, still grinning from ear to ear.

“Wish granted, then?”

“Wish granted.”

“It was just that easy.” Farkle snorts.

“Nothing’s ever easy with you, Riley Matthews. Never has been, never will be. But that’s what I like about you. You’re complex and complicated and you constantly keep me on my toes. Don’t change that, Matthews.”

“Never, Minkus. Not on your life.”

 _“LORD, am I going to have to come over there and break the two of you up? Quit kissing and get over here! You’re lucky I’ve been holding out on this cake, Riley, because I was **this** close to eating it all by myself!!”_ Maya shouts from the distance. Riley shakes her head, giggling at her best friend’s antics, but she does oblige with Maya’s demand. She rises from the ground, dusting off her dress before extending a hand out to Farkle.

“Walk with me to our friends so we can eat some cake?” she asks, lifting him from the ground once his hand has latched onto hers.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he grins, his fingers intertwining with hers when he’s back on his own two feet. “Though we probably won’t have any cake left. I’m almost _certain_ Maya will have eaten it by now.” Riley laughs, her grip tightening around his.

“No, that’s not true. Guess who made Maya’s wish come true?”

“Two cakes?”

“Try _three_. I know my best friends like the back of my hand. There will be plenty of cake to go around.” Farkle chuckles, knocking into her shoulder with his own.

“What would we do without you, Riley Matthews?”

“Die from cake withdrawal,” she states without a second thought. “And miss the heck out of me.”

“You got that right. We’d die from cake withdrawal within five seconds.” Riley punches him on the arm lightheartedly.

“You know you love me,” she teases, but Farkle can’t help but agree.

“Yeah, I really do.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've fallen in love with this show in the course of four days? How is that possible?! It's such a good show, and I love all the characters so much, and it's probably the only pure, heartwarming show I watch. Also, Farkle and Riley together are a lovely pair. I love them as both friends and as a couple, and Farkle Minkus is my son whom I love so much. 
> 
> I just love this show point blank, basically. 
> 
> So here I am, a veteran fic writer, writing fics about a Disney show. What has my life come to.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!


End file.
